Dance to the Tune He Plays
by Alice Wright
Summary: What happened before Jack became the Pumpkin King?
1. Chapter 1

_Flick coattail left. Wait for target to look right. Creep left. Stop behind gravestone. Slowly unbend knees and…_

A satisfying screech rent the air. Or, rather, it would have been satisfying if it weren't Sally screaming. Jack turned to the old ghoul who was currently serving as his mentor with a smug grin.

"Very good," the old ghoul said. He crossed his beetle-like arms over his rounded belly. "A very well executed misdirection. Of course, it would have been better if you'd waited until your target." He gestured to Sally, who was sitting in the middle of a circle of gravestones. "Thought she was safe."

Jack narrowed his eyes at the ghoul. "With all _due _respect," he said, stepping out from behind the gravestone. "Waiting longer would have taken away the suspense. I appeared at the height of the victim's tension."

Sally opened her mouth to agree with him, only to be silenced by a look from the old ghoul.

"You did," the old ghoul agreed. "But that wasn't the right time."

"It was the perfect time!" Jack exclaimed, clenching a bony fist.

The ghoul stared at the angry skeleton in front of him with a blank gaze. "I don't have time to argue the finer points of terror with you, young bones," he said lazily. He glanced at the timepiece he habitually kept in the breast pocket of his ragged suit and yawned. "Now if you'll kindly remove yourself from the graveyard, I have another pupil to instruct."

Jack glared at him and looked like he might very well tear the ghoul to pieces. Then he gave a little huff of anger, crossed his arms over his ribs, and stalked out of the graveyard.

Sally looked at the ghoul, who was falling asleep in the torn up armchair he always hauled out to the graveyard for lessons, and quickly got to her feet. "Jack!" she shouted at the skeleton's retreating back. "Wait!"

Jack blinked and turned to face her. "Sally," he said, all of the anger gone from his voice and replaced with confusion. "Aren't you supposed to be the target for the next student?"

Sally curled one side of her mouth in a grotesque of a bemused grin. "Hyde's next and he never gets past basic movement," she replied. "I won't be needed for awhile." She paused for a moment before pulling a little box out of her dress pocket. "Here," she said, holding it out to him.

He gingerly took the box from her then pulled at the orange thread binding it together. Inside was a perfectly cleaned fish skeleton. A huge grin spread across his face.

"I know bone fish is your favorite," she said shyly, looking at the ground. "And you always forget to eat."

"Thank you, Sally," he said, already breaking off a piece of the spine and tucking it into his jaw.

She glanced up at him and decided it was time to broach the subject. "Look, about Mr. Stoker…"

Jack's look of joy instantly turned to one of anger again. "That miserable bump," he growled after swallowing a bit of fish bone. "He doesn't understand the first thing about scaring people."

"Yes, but he is the head ghoul," she said. "And you've gone through three mentors already! Maybe if you just…"

"Just what?" Jack asked.

"Just played along," she blurted out. "Did what they said and then practiced real fright on the side."

Jack's usual grin turned into a thin line of bone. "You too, Sally?" he asked, sounding deeply betrayed.

"No! You _know_ I think you're the best at frightening people in all of Halloween Town!" she exclaimed. "I just want Stoker and the mayor and everyone to know that too."

"And Oogie Boogie?"

Sally bit her lip. She wished he hadn't brought up the king of Halloween Town. Everyone knew attracting his attention was an invitation to become an ingredient in his snake and spider stew. On the rare occasion, though, he'd recognize a young monster as a shadow among shadows; and when he did, that monster was almost certain to be the primary scare for the next few years. Anyone who argued became stew. "Please, Jack, don't bring him into this," Sally urged.

"Why not?" Jack said. "He seems to be my only option if I want to do any real scaring."

"Just don't," she insisted. "People love you. We'd all… miss you."

"Only if it went wrong."

"He's _Oogie Boogie_, Jack!" Sally cried, starting to get extremely frustrated with her best friend. "There are so many ways for it to go wrong, they're hard to count! I'm not denying you're scary, but presenting yourself to Oogie Boogie is just…"

"Risky, I know," Jack conceded. He draped himself unceremoniously over one of the headstones. "What am I going to do, Sally?" he asked, his usual air of confidence burst and replaced with a sort of sad desperation.

"I don't know," she said. She smiled and added, "Maybe eat the rest of that fish before you waste away? You're just bone."

Jack grinned. "And why should I listen to someone whose head is stuffed with leaves?" he countered as he popped another piece of fish bone into his mouth.

"At least I have something in my head," she teased. "Your skull is as empty as the vampires' coffins."

"Leaves for brains."

"Bonehead."

"Sally!" a voice cried in the distance, quickly followed by the sound of an electric wheelchair. She froze.

"Finklestein," Jack murmured. He looked towards Sally. "Want me to cover for you?"

She nodded and Jack got up from the headstone. He took several large strides across the graveyard and leant against the base of the statue of a demon, looking like he'd just been pondering the meaning of death.

"Sally!"

"Doctor!" Jack cried cordially. He bounded across the graveyard to where the mad scientist sat in his wheelchair, looking for his creation. "Oh, thank goodness I found you! I've been wanting to ask about that new theorem you were talking about last Thursday."

"Electromagnetic pulses," Finklestein replied. "A very interesting course of study."

"That's exactly what I thought," Jack said, wrapping a bony arm around the scientist's shoulders. "I was thinking we could talk about it over some nightlock tea. You still do like nightlock tea, don't you?"

"Yes, of course! But…" Finklestein manuevered out from under Jack's arm. "You haven't seen Sally anywhere have you?"

"Sally?" Jack asked, pretending not to know whom he was talking about. At a suspicious look from Dr. Finklestein, he added, "Oh! _That_ Sally! No, I'm afraid I haven't."

The scientist curled his lips. "That treacherous girl has been sneaking out at all hours. She's not ready for so much…"

"Excitement, I know," Jack said, beginning to grow tired of even this much conversation with Sally's creator. He shivered to think of how long it would take him to explain that theorem. "I'm sure she'll come back in time. Now, about that theorem."

* * *

Sally listened as the hum of Finklestein's electric wheelchair faded into the distance, along with the sound of Jack's voice. She breathed a little sigh of relief and got up from behind the headstone. She'd have to thank Jack later for luring him away, especially if he actually had to listen to Dr. Finklestein explain electromagnetism. She brushed a bit of dirt off her dress. He was bound to find someway to enjoy it, even if it was just by counting the number of times the Doctor said "magnet". That was one of the things she loved about Jack. He could always find a way to make a bad situation look brighter.

As she began to walk down Main Street, she began to think of how much of a talent that really was. King Oogie Boogie hadn't paid any attention to Halloween Town or its citizens for as long as she could remember. The oddly angled buildings lining the main road were falling to pieces and the road was so filled with cracks and holes that made it nearly impossible to walk at anything like a steady pace.

One of the vampires darted between the buildings, hissing every time its sensitive skin came in contact with the pale yellow light. She remembered Dr. Finklestein telling her that all four of the vampires had once carried around parasols during the day to protect themselves from the sun. She'd seen the remnants of one of these articles once. It had been smashed to pieces by the side of the road—no doubt the work of one of "Oogie's Boys."

Sally's attention sharpened as she saw Hugh the Werewolf carefully padding his way down the street. He was a monster she'd actually seen decline. He'd been doing fairly well, keeping to the shadows and attracting little attention, until Oogie had banned hunting in the forest. Now his fur lay in patches with big bald splotches between them, making him look as patchwork as Sally. She idly wondered where he managed to get what little meat he subsisted on, since no one else could get any either. Whatever he did find couldn't consist of more than a few scraps. She could see all of his ribs through his shirt. Hugh nodded politely at the ragdoll as he passed her and she gave him a little smile in return.

"Sally?"

Sally turned to see Jason looking at her from behind the rusted iron fence surrounding his yard. The fence was only about two feet high and Jason was well over seven foot, but the ungainly monster never stepped over it. Instead he treated it as if it were taller than he was. Whenever anyone did hop over the fence, his jaw would go slack and he'd clap as though they'd just performed the most impressive magic trick in the world.

Sally smiled at him. "Yes?"

"Head hurt," Jason explained, motioning towards the axe embedded in his skull. He cocked his head to one side. "Help?"

"Jason, Dr. Finklestein's the doctor," she said, worrying her bottom lip. "I just help sometimes. Maybe if…"

"Sally do it," he said. "Sally good. Good doctor."

"Jason, I'm not a…" She stopped at a confused look from the behemoth. She pursed her lips together and thought. "I guess if I used some larkspur on it…"

Jason's face lit up. "See! Good doctor!" he said, clapping his hands. "Good, good doctor."

"But I'm not… Oh, let me go get it," she said, giving up on convincing him she wasn't a medic.

"Good doctor, good doctor," he sang to himself as Sally clumsily walked up the street towards Dr. Finklestein's laboratory.

Sally smiled and shook her head. "I just hope the real doctor isn't in."

* * *

"I'm really sorry to interrupt you, Doctor," Jack said after draining the last bit of nightlock tea from his cup. He hurriedly got up from the table and began clearing it. "But I'm afraid I have to go talk to Grendel. She's been practicing slipping silently from underneath beds and needs a little help. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all, my dear boy," Dr. Finklestein exclaimed. "I think you have the basic principles down, in any case."

"I certainly hope so," Jack commented, rubbing the back of his skull. It had been three hours since he'd left the graveyard with Dr. Finklestein and the good doctor had talked about electromagnetism the entire time. He wagered that he could probably now make a conductor and motor of his own if he had to. "Well, it was so nice having this chat with you," he said as he ushered the Doctor to the door.

"My pleasure. It's always nice to talk to an enquiring young mind."

Jack grinned at the compliment. Just as he was about to close the door, Dr. Finklestein pulled up to it again. "You will tell me if you see Sally," he said, looking at Jack over his goggles. "I worry you know. She's not ready for so much…"

"Excitement. Yes. Of course, I will," Jack said, crossing two bony fingers behind his back. "Now if you'll excuse me, I shouldn't keep Grendel waiting."

"Of course, of course," the Doctor murmured, pulling away from the door.

Jack watched from the window of his little house near the gate to Halloween Town as Dr. Finklestein whirred his way down the street. When he'd finally made it out of view, Jack breathed a little sigh of relief and sank against the door. He enjoyed company, but there was only so much scientific theory anyone could take in one sitting.

He glanced at the crooked clock on the wall. He really did have to talk to Grendel, especially with Halloween only three weeks away. She was hoping to perfect slipping silently from room to room by the end of the week. Jack would have told her not to worry about it if it weren't time for performance reviews. Performance reviews dictated who stayed at home during Halloween and who got to go to the land of the humans. Each year, all the inhabitants of Halloween Town, with a few noted exceptions, lined up outside the Town Hall and showed off their terrifying tricks. The ones with the best marks would be given specific jobs, such as darter or scarecrow. Ever monster's dream, though, was to be chosen as the primary scare. Whoever was chosen would be the main event that Halloween and would have a say in how everything was put together. It was the implicit job of everyone else in Halloween Town to bolster the primary, putting their own talents on the back burner if they wouldn't help the primary to shine.

And there was another reason to prepare for performance reviews. Reviews decided who would be the celebratory garnish in King Oogie Boogie's Halloween snake and spider stew. The monster with the lowest marks got that privilege. It was called being "sacked" because whoever the unlucky monster was would be thrown in an old, dusty, burlap bag and delivered to Oogie Boogie's house. No one ever returned. The older ghouls cited it as a reasonable sacrifice to make to their great king, but that didn't keep Jack from feeling a tightening in his ribs whenever he saw the unfortunate monster being hauled away.

Of course, Jack wasn't worried about getting sacked. He'd gotten top marks in performance reviews without even trying for as long as he could remember. So instead, he focused on helping other monsters. He'd tutor young monsters in how to leap gracefully from headstone to headstone and help the older ones brush up on their signature tricks. He'd learned quite a bit from everyone he worked with, and rarely lost anyone to the sack. The few times he had, it had been a devastating loss, one which had goaded him into working harder than ever with the next year's group. Consequently, he never lost anyone two years in a row. This made him a very popular tutor amongst the citizens of Halloween Town, second only to the judge himself, Mr. Stoker. The head ghoul never lost anyone he took under his wing for the simple reason that he was the one deciding who would get sacked.

Jack got up from off the floor and dusted off his suit. He really shouldn't have spent as much time talking to Dr. Finklestein as he had. After Grendel, he had several other monsters to coach, not even counting the night sessions he did this close to reviews. He took the bone fish Sally had given him out of his pocket and picked off a bit of fin. She was right in saying that he didn't eat enough, but how could he find the time with so much to do? This year, especially, he'd been booked up to his skull. And, on top of that, he was trying for primary scare. He simply didn't have time for things like eating.

Or sleeping, he noted ruefully as he headed out the door. He hadn't gotten a full night's sleep in about a week. It was starting to become a problem. Only yesterday, Edgar had been forced to wake him up during the middle of his tutoring session. He said that he'd tried scaring him awake, but that Jack had been sound asleep. Jack had scheduled him for another round this evening, along with profuse apologies for falling asleep on him. He glanced up at the clock tower as he sprinted towards the Town Hall. At this rate, he wouldn't have any time for his own practice. He grinned to himself as he opened the side door and slipped inside the hall. It didn't matter much anyway. He was sure to get primary scare this year.

* * *

Reviews appreciated as always!


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you to Wolf Lover 06 and mrspencil for their kind reviews!

* * *

"Adam, are you even trying?"

The eight foot gargantuan looked down at his big black boots. "Yes," he growled, shifting back and forth on his tree trunk-like legs. From up on the stage, he looked like an embarrassed actor who'd just forgotten an important line.

Jack clenched his teeth, mentally beating himself over the head. The blue-green giant had clearly been trying their whole session, but something just wasn't working. Jack had been contemplating going back to square one and starting him on a new tactic, but with reviews only two days away there wasn't time for that. He tapped his pencil against the clipboard he had settled on one knee and stared at the giant monster. In his head, he went through his standard list of scary attributes. Being big and tall was a good start, but not necessarily a guarantee against getting sacked. The ragged fingernails couldn't even get close to claws. The more he thought about it the more the monster just seemed like an over-large human.

Well, that just made his job more interesting.

"I'm sorry," he said, rubbing his skull. "That wasn't fair to you. Of course, you're trying. It's my fault for not paying attention." He gestured at Adam with the pencil. "Now, one more time, if you please."

Adam straightened out so that he was at his full height, cleared his throat, and roared at Jack, sending little bits of spittle flying through the air.

Jack blinked at him. "There's something missing," he murmured to himself. "But what… Oh! Of course! Try it this way!" He got up from the second row of seats, sending the pencil and clipboard flying, and mimicked Adam's position down to the last joint. "If you lean forward a little bit," he said, demonstrating with his own bony frame. "And really bare your teeth." Jack pulled his mouth into a wicked grin. "You might really have something."

"But it looks silly on you," Adam protested.

Jack dropped the pose. "Of course it looks silly on _me_," he said as he took a seat again. "It's a forward lean for someone twice my… Just try it, will you?"

The giant shrugged and stood like Jack had been standing.

"Really give it the biggest roar you can," the skeleton added as he watched Adam prepare himself. The monster nodded and cleared his throat again. He bared his teeth and leaned forward over Jack. The skeleton grinned to himself. "Very good! Now, the best you can!"

An ear splitting roar filled the hall.

"Fantastic!" Jack cried, wiping a bit of saliva from his skull. "You do that during reviews and you're certain to succeed!"

"You think so?"

"Absolutely! And what excellent timing," he added as a small, furry creature slipped in through the side door. He turned his gaze back to Adam. "Looks like our session is over. Just practice that forward lean a few more times and I'm sure you'll do splendidly."

The giant grinned and made his way down the aisle towards the front doors of Town Hall.

"Hey, Jack," the sandy-colored ball said as she hopped onto the stage.

"Hello, Dante," Jack replied. "Have you been practicing your creeping?"

A pair of sharp fangs appeared out of the mass of sandy-colored fur. Suddenly, the little furry ball was behind him. "How's that?" she squeaked.

"Fantastic!" he exclaimed. "Though you might want to add a bite."

The fangs disappeared and a pair of soft brown eyes peeked out from the fur. "But I don't want to hurt you," she protested.

Jack placed a hand to his jaw. "Dante, look at me," he said, gesturing towards his bony legs. "I'm all bone. A little nip isn't going to hurt."

"But what about Mr. Stoker?"

Jack opened his mouth, a few choice words about Mr. Stoker on his tongue, then quickly decided against it. "Stoker won't mind," he said after a few moments. "It's _your_ job to prove to him that you are _much_ scarier than you look, not to worry about hurting him."

"I know," she murmured. "It's just…"

"No 'just's!" he interrupted. "Stoker will be _fine_. Now, try it again and aim for my clavicle."

"Your what?"

Jack tapped his shoulder near his neck. "Shoulder bone," he explained.

"Oh."

Dante skittered her way back onto the stage. It took her a few tries to jump from the ground to the stage, and then only with the aid of the front row of seats. Finally, she managed to squirm her way onto the stage. "Ready," she said breathlessly as she stood next to one of the footlights.

Jack placed a finger to his lips and furrowed his brow over his sockets. He was beginning to think that he ought to get Dante a pass from reviews like he'd done for Jason. It would be simple enough given her lack of inherent scariness. He'd tried to get her one last November when he realized that she'd be up for reviews this year, but the little monster had thrown an absolute fit. She really wanted to be part of Halloween. "It's alright for you," she'd said, tears streaming down her fur. "You get to go every year. You don't know what it's like to be left behind!"

And now, this year, she was doing her first performance review. Jack had worked tirelessly to try to get the young ghoul into top condition, but nothing seemed to work when the creature was as cute and kind-hearted as Dante. Even the most basic tactic fell flat. He'd finally had to engineer a routine that was based almost solely on speed so that no one would see her.

He watched as Dante tried different snarls. None of them came even close to being scary. "Focus, please!" he said, causing her to immediately shut her mouth. "We have limited time. Now why don't you add some of those speed moves that I taught you to give it suspense?"

The little creature frowned. "But going so fast always makes me feel sick," she complained.

Jack let out a frustrated sigh. "Then get sick _after _you do the routine. No arguments," he added as she began to protest. He crossed his arms over his ribs. "Now let's see what that looks like."

Just as the furry creature was about to spring, Sally burst through the door. "Jack!" she cried, looking around the dimly lit hall. "Jack?"

"What?" the skeleton snapped, turning around so quickly that it would have made anyone else's head spin.

Sally shrunk back against the wall a bit. "I… I brought fish," she said, holding out a box very similar to the one she'd given him the other day. "Jason said he hadn't seen you go down the street to your house for lunch, or dinner, so I-I thought..."

Jack relaxed a bit and walked over to the door. "That's very sweet of you, Sally," he said, his usual temper restored. "But I'm afraid I'm in the middle…"

"Just… nibble on it while you teach," she said, shoving the box into his hands. "I'm sure Dante won't mind."

"You didn't have dinner?" the young monster piped up.

Jack sighed and turned to face the stage. "No, I didn't, but that's hardly…"

"You need to eat!" Dante exclaimed, suddenly at Jack's elbow.

"You're just bone," Sally added with a smile. The two girls gazed affectionately at each other, sharing a well-known joke. Meanwhile, Jack stood in the middle, brooding.

"Fine," he murmured, pulling the string on the package. "I'll eat and work. But that means, _you_ are going to have to work extra hard to try to understand me," he said, pointing at Dante.

The little creature flashed him a pair of pure white fangs. "Eat your dinner," she said as she trotted back towards the stage. She turned and bared her teeth in a mock version of Jack's own horrifying grin. "I'm a lot tougher than I look."

Sally giggled. Jack smiled and placed a bony fist against his hip. He didn't know why, but something about the fuzzy creature made him feel happier. She was charming in a way that wasn't frightening at all. In all his years of tutoring ghouls, he'd never met anyone quite like her.

"If only charm could get you through reviews," he thought sourly as he walked back to his seat. He didn't even want to think about losing Dante to the sack, but with her constant questioning and fear of hurting anyone, the idea was always in the back of his skull. The only answer he could think of was to train her as thoroughly and intensely as possible and hope that some other poor monster turned out to be even less frightening than her.

"Remember the bite at the end," he said as he settled down into the second row again. He picked up the clipboard and pencil from off the floor and wiped a bit of Adam's spit off of it. "And try to make it so that I don't…" He felt a prick on his shoulder. He turned towards it and found Dante staring at him, a frightened expression on her face. "…See you."

"I'm so sorry!" Dante cried, letting go of his shoulder. Her lopsided ears flattened against her head. "Did I hurt you?"

"Fantastic!" Jack exclaimed, rubbing his shoulder. "Simply fantastic! Do you think you can do that again?"

The little creature's ears perked up and a look of pure joy came into her eyes. "Sure thing, bone man!" she said as she zoomed up onstage again.

"Where did she even come up with that name?" he asked as Sally sat down next to him.

The ragdoll shrugged and looked away.

"How's…" Dante appeared next to Jack's shoulder and bit down hard. "This?"

"Better," he commented. "Though, remember what I said about announcing attacks?"

The furry creature frowned. "I didn't want to…"

Jack crossed his arms over his ribcage. "Dante, if you say 'scare me' then we have some _serious_ problems," he interrupted.

Her fur turned a bright shade of orange. "…Surprise you?"

"Even _worse_," Jack exclaimed, his expression beginning to turn sour. "Look, we've talked about this. Scaring and surprising is part of the job. If you can't stomach the idea, then I'm going to go right over to the mayor's house and get…"

Suddenly, Sally stood up and began to make her clumsy way towards the stage. "Jack?" she said as she reached the front of the stage. "Could Dante and I have a moment alone?"

Jack stared at her, utterly confused. "Sally, this really isn't the…"

"It's about scaring. Don't worry. I won't take more than a few seconds."

He opened his mouth to ask what Sally could possibly know about scaring, but before he could say a word, the ragdoll had knelt down next to Dante and was whispering in her furry ear.

"Got it?" Sally asked.

Dante nodded. The ragdoll smiled and returned to her seat next to Jack. The next thing the skeleton knew Dante had disappeared.

"Where did she…" he began only to be silenced by a look from Sally. He felt a slight breeze go past his skull, which made no sense since the Town Hall was almost unbearably stuffy. A trace of golden fur darted past the corner of his eye, so quickly it made Jack jump a little. He felt a shiver go up his spine and then a gentle bite to his shoulder. He turned his head and saw none other than Dante sitting on his right shoulder and glaring at him, his clavicle clenched between her teeth. Instantly, the glare changed to a look of concern. "Was tha' awright?" she said, her mouth still full of Jack's suit.

"That… was… _fantastic_!" Jack exclaimed. He beamed at the young monster, all of his fears about losing the gentle creature to the sack forgotten. "That's Darter material! Sally, what did you…?"

"She just told me to try to scare you," Dante put in.

Jack frowned, his brow furrowing over his empty sockets. "But I've told you that hundreds of…"

"Never mind that, do you think it'll work?" Sally interrupted.

"Of course it will!" Jack said. "If she's able to scare _me_, Stoker will end up screaming."

The little monster beamed. "I told you I could do it!" she cried, flashing him an impish grin.

"You certainly did."

* * *

"Sally, how did you get Dante to do that?"

The ragdoll bit her lip as Jack helped her over a crack in the road. She'd hoped that he'd forgotten about her little talk with Dante. There had been six other monsters after her and Jack had seemed completely absorbed in each and every one of him. She'd hoped that he'd be so enthralled with the new challenges they presented that Dante's disappearing act would have totally slipped out of his skull. But now, as the skeleton looked at her curiously, she realized she should've known better than to think he'd just move on to the next thing without question.

"It's not important," she murmured.

"Sally, you managed to turn a nearly hopeless ghoul into a Darter with a few words. I _have _to know." When she didn't respond, he added, "_Lives_ could be at stake, Sally. If you know some sort of trick…"

"I-I just told her that the way to really impress you was to scare you," she admitted.

Jack stopped in his tracks and blinked at her. "I don't understand," he said. "Why would that…?"

"Jack, you're the most accomplished ghoul in all of Halloween Town and you're kind and you're…" She bit her lip. "Is it really any surprise that monsters want to impress you?"

He frowned. "She should be worried about impressing Stoker," he murmured, holding out his hand to help her over a ditch. He grimaced. "He's the one with the sack."

Sally shook her head. Sometimes she wondered if Jack was ever going to understand how much he meant to the citizens of Halloween Town. She'd tried explaining it to him before, but he always brushed it off or put it down to helping so many ghouls avoid the sack.

"How's Adam doing?" she asked, deciding it was better to change the subject than to try to win an argument with the skeleton.

"He'll be fine as long as he remembers to loom over Stoker instead of roaring at him from the back of the stage," Jack said. He carefully stepped over a large fissure in the road before helping Sally over. "Honestly, Sally," he continued once she'd regained her balance. "Does it take too much effort to just _think _about how to scare someone?"

Sally frowned. Jack complaining about the other monsters could only mean one thing. "Who's in danger this time?" she asked.

He sighed. "Grendel just can't seem to do anything noiselessly," he admitted. He helped her hop over another hole before adding. "If they gave her water to work with, she'd be fine, but…"

"The reviews don't have any water," she finished for him. Her heart ached in her chest. "Oh, Jack. I'm so sorry."

He waved his hand at her dismissively. "It's fine," he said, holding one elbow behind his back like a schoolboy. "Happens to the best of us, right?"

"There's a chance she could still make it," she said hopefully.

He gave her a sad smile. "Yeah, I guess," he conceded. He looked down at the road. "It would take a miracle though."

Sally worried the inside of her lip. Losing someone to the sack was about the worst thing she could think of—and that was just as a friend. She couldn't imagine what it must be like for someone who had mentored the unlucky ghoul. "I know what will cheer you up," she said, taking hold of his hand. "Do you want to practice scaring? We could go to the graveyard and…"

"Sally, I'm really not in the mood," he said, still staring at the road. "Maybe tomorrow."

"But you could try out all your new tricks," she insisted. She stepped in front of Jack, nearly falling into a small ditch in the process. "I heard from Adam that you have this great new one. Something about creeping behind corners…"

"And leaping out, yes. It's a hard one to execute properly, but I think I've almost got it down," he said, some joy returning to his features.

"And then there was one about…"

"Using noise as a scaring tool! But not noise you make, noise you create with other things. You have to get a little creative with your environment, but on the whole…"

Sally smiled to herself as Jack talked more and more animatedly about his new scaring techniques. A couple of times he even demonstrated for her, hiding in the dilapidated houses and leaping out where she'd least expect it. It was the happiest she'd seen him in weeks.

By the time they reached Dr. Finklestein's lab, he was smiling openly and speaking very quickly. "I mean, that's not to say that the old tried and true methods aren't just at good, but if you really want to surprise someone you have to think outside of the…"

"Sally! There you are."

"Oh, doctor! I didn't see you there," Jack said as Dr. Finklestein rolled up the walk.

The doctor glared at him before taking Sally by the arm. "What did I say about leaving the house?"

"She was with me the entire time, Doctor. I can assure you that…"

"Don't you start getting smart with me, Skellington," Finklestein snarled, jabbing an accusing finger at Jack. "If it weren't for you, she wouldn't be getting these ideas in her head in the first place."

"Ideas?" Jack echoed, completely confused.

"Yes, I would!" Sally protested. She pulled against the Doctor's grip. "Jack has nothing to do with it. It's my own idea."

"What idea?" Jack asked looking from the doctor to his creation.

"To start scaring of course!" Finklestein shouted. He turned his attention back to Sally, yanking her down to his level. "I got you that pass for a reason. You're not strong enough to take on such a strain."

"Yes I am!" she cried, pulling on her arm.

"Sally," Jack said. He looked like he'd just been punched in the ribs. "You're thinking about scaring?"

"Well…" The ragdoll looked back and forth from Jack to Dr. Finklestein. "I thought… maybe if I… Oh!" She quickly undid the thread connecting her arm to her shoulder, sending the doctor flying backwards. She dusted herself off and walked over to where Jack stood. "I just… I just want to be a part of things here."

"Sally, there are other ways! You don't have to be part of scaring. You're already one of the best nurses a ghoul could ask for. And scaring… Why risk your life?"

"Oh, is that it?" she hissed. He could see tears forming in her eyes. "You think I'd be sacked? That I'm even less scary than _Dante_?"

"I didn't say that!" Jack protested.

"No. You just thought it a lot," she growled. She grimaced and hiked up her dress. "Well, I'll show you." She undid her left leg and let it flop to the ground. The separated member inched its way upright until it was standing just like a normal leg. She looked smugly at Jack. "You don't think _that's_ scary?"

Jack stared at the released appendage as it hopped towards him. "Umm…" he said as it began to hop around him. "Well… 'Scary' isn't the _first _word that comes to mind."

The leg nudged him in what he could only assume was intended to be a kick and hopped back towards Sally. She quickly sewed it back on and began to walk towards Dr. Finklestein, who was grumbling to himself about ungrateful creations. She took her arm from him, sewed it on as well, and began pushing his wheelchair towards the lab.

"Sally!" Jack called after her. "Oh, come on, Sally! I didn't mean…"

"I'm not talking to you, Jack," she called over her shoulder.

"Sally…"

"Forget it, Skellington," a voice said behind him.

Jack turned to see Pagliacci looking at the scene from his unicycle. The clown looked over at Sally as she closed the door to Finklestein's lab. "No use arguing when a doll gets her head set on something."

"I guess you're right, Polly," he conceded. He skipped over a crack in the road to meet him in the middle of the road. "How're your monsters doing?"

"Eh, they're coming along," he said, his eyes still glued to the lab door. "Is she really thinking about scaring?"

"It seems so," Jack said with a glance over his shoulder at Dr. Finklestein's.

"Hmph… Some ghouls just don't know their own luck," Polly growled. He pedaled backward and forwards on his unicycle. "I'd give both arms and my cycle to not have to put up with this each year."

"I know, right?" Jack agreed with a smile. It quickly faded. "I don't suppose Dr. Finklestein would let her anyway," he added after a moment. "I just wish she wouldn't think that way."

"Hey, you can't control the way a doll thinks," Polly said.  
"Believe me, I _know_," Jack said wryly. He grinned and added, "Do you want to get something over at the Witches' House? I'm…"

"Bone dry?" Polly suggested with a smirk.

Jack shook his head and looked sheepishly at the other monster. "Bone jokes are never going to get old with you guys, are they?"

"Nope," he said. He pedaled over to Jack and nudged him in the ribs. "Hey. You know you like it," he teased. He cocked his head towards the lab. "Especially when it comes from a pretty doll, right?"

Jack blinked at him, confused. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Polly furrowed his brow and opened his mouth, then decided against it and just shook his head. "Never mind," he said. "The witches' sounds great." He pushed Jack forward before cycling around him. "Lead on, MacDuff."

* * *

Reviews appreciated as always!


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you to Wolf Lover 06 and mrspencil for their kind reviews.

* * *

It was the day before reviews and Jack was exhausted. He'd been up all night after his fight with Sally trying to think of new and different scary tactics for his more challenging ghouls. He'd filled one entire notepad with ideas and was working on the second when the sun rose.

Despite their fight, he'd found a wakefulness potion on his front doorstep as he had left his house. He glanced at the now nearly empty bottle before turning his attention back to Polly.

"Sorry," he yawned. "What were you saying?"

"I was saying that you need to get some rest," Polly said. "If you keep going at this rate, you'll be up for the sack yourself."

"No, I'm…" He yawned again. "…Fine."

"Uh-huh," Polly grumbled. He took a swig of witches' brew. Polly always took to drinking brew right before reviews. Sometimes Jack wondered how he managed to pass at all. "Look, I'll take on your monsters if that's what's bugging you," he said after he'd downed another mouthful of brew. "But you aren't helping anyone by working yourself to the…"

"Bone?" Jack suggested with a grin.

Polly rolled his eyes and took another sip of brew.

"What? So now it's only funny when you do it?" Jack teased.

"It's funny when everyone in Halloween Town isn't worried about you," Abigail chipped in as she set another mug in front of Polly.

Jack smiled at the taller of the two witches. "I'll be fine," he said patronizingly. "None of you need to worry about me."

"Uh-huh," Polly murmured through a mouthful of witches' brew. He swallowed it and set down the mug. "Sure. No one worry about Jack. That's easy to do when… Jack… Jack!"

"Huh? What? I'm awake," the skeleton said, looking around bewilderedly.

"Ok, that's it," Polly said. He hopped onto the unicycle he'd propped up against the old wooden table. "I'm taking you home."

"Home? But I have eleven more monsters today! And some ghouls will want last minute…"

"Yeah, I know. I'll take care of it," Polly said as he pulled Jack to his feet.

"Polly," Jack exclaimed, stepping away from the clown. "That's impossible!"

"No," he growled. "What's impossible is getting it through your skull that you aren't doing anyone any good when you're like this."

"But even I…"

"Can't train that many ghouls at once," Polly said, mimicking Jack's voice. "I know. I'll get some other monsters to help."

"But you don't have to do that! I'm perfectly…"

Pagliacci grabbed the skeleton by the elbow and pulled him so that he was a few inches away from his face. "You're perfectly what?" he growled, all the humor gone from his voice. "Fine?"

"Yes," he said as calmly as he could with an angry clown glaring at him. "I am fine. I just need to drink a little more potion is all."

"Jack, you're falling asleep at the table! You're not fine and you're almost out of potion." Polly grabbed the skeleton by the collar and pulled him so that they were practically touching noses. "Just to be clear, are you too proud or just too stupid to understand that if you get sacked a whole lot of other monsters are going be in trouble?"

"But I'm not _going _to get sacked," Jack protested.

"Not going to get… You take a nap in front of Stoker and you're stew. You got that?" He pushed the skeleton away, causing him to clatter against the wooden bench. He made a quick U-turn with his unicycle and crossed his arms over his chest. "Now are you coming with me or am I going to have to drag you home?"

"Polly," Abigail quaked. "I'm sure Jack can get home on his own."

"And Jack," she added, turning to face the shocked skeleton. "Try to get some rest. You've done all you can. All you're doing at this point is making everyone worried."

"I don't see why," Jack replied stubbornly. He stood up from the bench and brushed himself off. "I'm just trying to make sure everyone's in top condition for reviews."

"Yeah, everyone but yourself," Polly growled. "If I were your mentor, I'd have slapped a curfew and a steady diet on you weeks ago."

"Then it's a good thing you're not," Jack said, narrowing his eyes at the other monster.

The two glared at each other for a minute, then Polly cycled out of the witches' house, murmuring to himself about stubborn skeletons.

"Jack, please," Abigail said as soon as the clown had left. "You see how worried everyone is. Can't you at least take a half-day?"

"And who should I leave out so I can make that happen?" Jack growled. "Who is worth losing so I can rest?"

"You've done all you can," she replied. "It's up to them now."

Jack rubbed the back of his skull and frowned. "I suppose you're right," he murmured after a few seconds. "I just… I don't want to lose anyone simply because I got too lazy."

"Jack, _no one _can accuse you of being lazy," Abigail said with a smile. She gestured with her broom towards the door. "I'll track down Polly and get him or some other ghoul to substitute for you. Why don't you go get some rest?"

"Ok," Jack conceded. "Just… try to get someone other than Polly. I'm pretty sure he's brewed."

Abigail nodded.

"Oh!" he cried. "And let me get my notepads! I was up all night writing down last minute tactics and whoever the substitute turns out to be…"

"Just set them outside your door," she interrupted. "I'll get whomever I get to pick them up."

* * *

Sally was in a bit over her head.

"Umm… pay atten… focus?" she cried as Grendel and Venetia talked to each other. The lake monster and the colorful fashion guru hadn't paid the slightest bit of attention to Sally since they'd entered. She'd tried to get their attention before, but all her pleas seemed to fall on deaf ears. Now, the tentacles on top of Venetia's head curled in frustration and Grendel turned a disdainful eye towards the ragdoll. "What do you want, dolly?" she asked.

"And when's Jack getting here?" Venetia added.

Sally bit her lip, looking from the lake monster to the mish-mashed fashion guru. "Uhh… well… Jack's not actually coming," she said, looking down at the floor. She dug her heel into the floor. "He's really exhausted and, since I sit in on a lot of his sessions, Abigail thought it might be a good idea for me to try to substitute for him."

"What?" the two monsters cried in unison.

"You must be joking," Grendel said.

"I-I'm really not," she replied, looking back up at the two monsters. "So… umm… Venetia if you wouldn't mind getting off the stage? I have to tutor Grendel now."

"What do you know about scaring, dolly?" the lake monster demanded, setting one fin against her hip. "Just 'cause you've seen Jack do it doesn't mean you know anything."

"Look! We really don't have time to argue over whether or not I'm qualified," Sally cried. "Reviews are tomorrow! Trust me!"

"Or…" she added. "If you don't trust me, trust Jack and the fact that I've seen him work with you. All of you."

Grendel stared at Sally for a moment, then shrugged. "Venie, get off the stage," she said. "Let's give ragdoll a chance."

The fashionista waved one fur-covered arm at Grendel before hopping off the stage and into the front row of seats. "I want to see this," she growled, giving Sally a grin with her lower jaw.

Sally gulped.

"Well, Grendel," she began. "You were working on soundlessness, right?"

The lake monster crossed her arms over her chest. "That's right."

"But it says here that that wasn't working and that Jack wants you to try a…" She squinted at the notepad, trying to decipher the skeleton's handwriting. "Slime and… slither attack." She frowned. What on earth did that mean?

"Oh! That makes sense," Grendel said. "Just give me a second. I need to slime up."

"Of course," Sally said, trying to look like she knew what was going on.

The lake monster, on the other hand, was beaming. "I'm surprised I didn't think of it, to be honest," she said as took a canister of green substance out of her bag and applied it to her arms and legs. "I mean, I was hoping for the whole silent thing, but this makes a lot more sense." She took a little bit of water from a canteen and dotted it around her gills before walking up to the front of the stage. "Ready?"

The ragdoll nodded.

Grendel gave her a wicked grin before darting into the shadows at the edge of the stage. An odd slithering sound echoed through the hall followed by a bump under the first row of seats. Venetia gave a little screech and then chuckled. Sally nibbled her lip. Suddenly, she felt a cold, slimy hand grasp her leg. She gasped and tried to suppress a little squeak. "Not… bad…" she breathed as Grendel pulled herself out from under the seats.

The lake monster smirked at her.

"You might though… And this is just a suggestion, but I think it's what Jack would say… You might want to delay the grab for a bit? And add a few more noises. You know, build the suspense?"

Grendel cocked her head to one-side and scrutinized the ragdoll. "Ok," she conceded after a moment. "If that's what you think Jack would suggest."

"I do," Sally said.

"I'll try it again then," she said, getting up on the stage.

Sally smiled. "If you please."

* * *

It had taken awhile, and some sleeping potion that Sally had given him a couple of months ago, but Jack had finally fallen into an uneasy sleep after his review. In his dreams, monsters kept disappearing. Whenever he tried to save one, they'd disappear through his bony fingers like so much fog. As Sally slipped through his grasp, he gave a cry of despair and instantly woke up. He glanced at the clock. "Midnight," he murmured to himself. He rubbed his skull and tried to remember that it was just a dream. It had felt so real, though. For a moment, he felt like going over to Dr. Finklestein's to make sure that Sally really was there and not fog, but he quickly tossed that idea aside. "It was only a dream," he murmured to himself as he pulled the covers over his head. "Only a dream."

* * *

"Jack! Come quickly!"

"What? Why?" he murmured as he blinked the sleep out of his sockets.

As he slowly began to wake up, he saw Sally standing at his door, an anxious look on her face. "It's Dante," she said.

"Dante?" he echoed, still not entirely conscious. What on earth could Dante have done that was so urgent?

Or not done.

Jack bolted out of bed and quickly put on his suit. "Where is she?" he asked as he put on his coat.

"In Town Hall. I came as quickly as I could, but…"

Jack didn't bother to hear the rest. He was already out the door.

* * *

Jack didn't have to bother trying to push his way through the crowd around Town Hall. As soon as the other monsters saw him sprinting towards the building, all noise stopped and they made a neat little path to the door. The skeleton threw open the doors to see Dante standing next to a very perplexed looking Abigail.

"They needed someone to be with her," she explained as Jack strode up. "And I…"

He nodded before squatting down next to the little creature. "Are you alright?" he asked. "What happened?"

"I tripped," Dante whispered. He could see the tears staining her fur. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," he said. He picked up the little creature and held her to his ribs. "I… I'll see what I can do. Stoker has to see reason! You're…"

"Sacked," a voice finished behind him. Jack turned to see Stoker standing at the doorway.

The skeleton glared at the head ghoul. "You didn't even give her a chance," he growled, striding right up to him. Dante squirmed out of Jack's grasp and hid behind the furious skeleton. "It's her first review and she _tripped_," he said, looming over the old ghoul. "If you had any guts at all you'd let her get through her whole routine before condemning her. No, if you had any _brains_ at all! She's Darter material and you're just going to throw that away because of a little mistake! If you weren't already dead, I'd…"

"It's ok, Jack," Dante murmured.

Jack turned to see the small creature standing at her full height—which was barely six inches. She bared her fangs and added, "I'm a-a lot tougher than I look."

The skeleton clenched his teeth, trying to put on a brave face for the other monster. "I know you are," he said, trying to keep his tone as even as possible. He knelt down next to the little golden ball of fluff and tried to think of something encouraging. But all he could say was, "I know."

"Jack?" Mr. Stoker said. The skeleton could see him out of the corner of his eye and, for the first time, he realized why the head ghoul could never bear to lose his own pupils. For a second, his normal look of careless boredom had been replaced with concern and something close to despair. He quickly recovered and repeated, "Jack, it's time for her to go."

He felt a tide of anger rising up in him again, but quickly found it obscured by Dante telling him, "It'll be alright, Jack. Promise."

Jack opened his mouth to try to explain to her everything that was wrong with what was happening. Why she should be the last monster in all of Halloween Town to be sacked. Instead, he choked back a sob and held the little monster close to his chest.

"You know," Jack said as he held the little ball of fur. "I'm the one who's supposed to be comforting you. Not the other way around."

Dante smiled sadly at him. "But you're a lot sadder than I am," she whispered.

Jack chuckled wanly. "True," he whispered back.

The little creature gave him one last nuzzle before hopping from his arms and floating up to Mr. Stoker. "You r-ready?" she asked, trying to sound unperturbed.

For a moment, the old ghoul lost his composure again. He quickly regained it and said, "I just want you to know that I don't relish this."

"I know you don't," she said. At his startled expression she added, "Your face keeps going all funny whenever you think no one else is looking." As she floated towards the door she said, "You should probably fix that before next review."

* * *

The sacking ceremony was very quick and clean. Usually there was some amount of fuss. The monster would usually fight being put in the sack. Sometimes the monster's friends or mentor would cry and hiss and wail. But this sacking was very quiet. Jack stood in the middle of the Town Square next to Dante while the head ghoul gave the standard speech on the sacrifices that must be made for the sake of Halloween Town. Dante stood as close as possible to Jack's leg while still standing as tall as possible. When it was about time for Dante to get in the sack, the little monster looked up at Jack. "You ok, bone man?" she asked quietly.

He nodded. "I'm going to miss you," he admitted.

Dante looked at the ground. "Gonna miss you too. I'm sorry I couldn't… That I didn't…"

"Hey," he said, kneeling down next to the little monster. "You are one of the bravest monsters I have ever known. Nothing can change that."

Dante turned eyes brimming with tears up towards the skeleton. Then the sack was thrown over her head by one of the ghosts. Jack reached out to grab the sack, but it was too late. It was already far above his head and being carried off to Oogie Boogie's. He let his arm drop limply to his side.

"The roles will be out and assigned by noon tomorrow," Stoker said as the ghost zoomed out of sight. "I expect everyone to be there."

* * *

Reviews appreciated as always.


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you to Wolf Lover 06 and mrspencil for their kind reviews!

* * *

Question for my readers: Would you prefer for the chapters to be shorter and more frequent, or longer (like these), but with larger gaps? I can do it either way. Message me your preference or add it to your review, if you please.

* * *

"I'm not going to try to get into scaring anymore."

Jack looked up from his mug of witches' brew to see Sally standing at the door to the Witches' House. "Good," he said simply.

She slid onto the wooden bench next to the skeleton. "How many of those have you had?" she asked, gesturing to the mug of brew.

He shrugged. "I'm not sure. Four?" He grinned wryly. "It's really more a gesture than anything else. It doesn't do a thing to me."

Sally nibbled her lip. "Jack," she began. "I know this is hard for you, but…" She looked up at the grey-haired witch who was hovering close by. "Abby, help me out here," she pleaded.

Abigail looked helplessly from the skeleton to the ragdoll. "Want me to make you something stronger?" she asked.

Jack shook his head. "No, it's an experiment at this point. How much witches' brew does it take for me to start losing it?" He drained the rest of the glass, picked it up, spun it around three times, and tossed it nimbly from hand to hand. "Clearly not four," he said as he sent it sliding gently towards Abigail. The witch picked up the mug and cast a worried glance towards Sally before walking over to the cauldron.

"Dr. Finklestein's pleased, I take it?" Jack said.

"Sorry, what?" she said, turning her attention back to the skeleton.

"Over your decision not to scare," he replied.

Sally shook her head. "I haven't told him yet."

The skeleton gave her a curious sideways glance.

"I-I wanted to tell you first," she explained. She looked down at her hands. "You were right, Jack. I'm not cut out for this."

"None of us are," he commented sourly.

Sally glanced up at him for a moment before looking back at her hands. She tried to think of something to make him feel better, but nothing she could think of could even make the slightest dent in the pain of losing Dante. Losing her to the sack was just something too big for even his bubbly personality to cope with, especially when he'd just started to not worry about her.

"It's my fault you know," he murmured after a few moments of silence.

"What?" Sally said, shaken from her reverie. She looked up at Jack, who was now making little patterns on the wooden table with one of his long, bony fingers. "Oh, Jack, you know that's not…"

"I mean it! If I'd trained her better then she'd be here right now." He took the mug of brew that Abigail held out to him. "Probably floating in the corner and wondering what had gotten into my skull that I was trying to drown it in brew."

Tears began to well up in Sally's eyes. "You can't blame… She _tripped_, Jack," the ragdoll insisted. "It's Stoker's fault not yours."

"If I hadn't taken the day off," he continued, some of his sorrow rising to his throat. "If I'd just paid a little more attention."

Sally rested a hand on the skeleton's arm. "Jack," she said firmly. "This isn't your fault. No one could have foreseen her tripping. _No one_."

"You could have."

Sally pulled back her hand. It was technically true that she could have seen Dante's accident in advance. In fact, she was a little surprised that she hadn't. A lot of her visions had to do with Jack, but she often caught glimpses of other monster's lives too. And this one was a major event in both Dante and Jack's lives. "Only if the vision had come to me," she said after a few moments. "And it didn't. I'm sorry, but it _didn't_." She balled her hands into fists. "You _know_ I can't control it like that," she continued, tears beginning to fall down her velvety cheeks. "You _know_ I can't."

"Sally, I'm not blaming you," Jack said, a concerned look on his face. "It was just a thought." He drained the last of his mug of brew before adding, "Sorry I brought it up."

Sally wiped away her tears with her sleeve and watched as Jack finished mug after mug of brew. He was nearly on his eighth one when she got an idea. "Do you want me to try for you?" she asked. When he gave her a confused look, she added, "For next year's monsters. I could try to predict… I mean, I really don't think it works that way, but I could _try_…"

"That's very sweet of you, Sally," Jack interrupted before taking another swig of brew. "But I don't want you taxing yourself if you don't have to."

"How's the experiment going?" Abigail asked as she warily drew up to the table.

Jack frowned, drained the mug, and tried tossing it from hand to hand. The mug clattered to the table. "I guess the answer is seven," he replied with a slight grin. "How many does Polly usually drink?"

"About ten," Abigail replied. "On a rough night."

"Well, this is certainly a rough night," Jack replied. He held up two fingers. "Two more brews please," he said. "And then I'll be off." As the witch walked off to get the brews, he added, "Can't have Polly beating me."

* * *

Sally groaned to herself as she tried to lead the brewed skeleton around a ditch. "We're almost home," she said as he looked around vaguely. He looked disturbingly like Jason when he was like this.

"W-why are we going home?" he asked.

"Because you need to get some rest and sleep off this breeew!" she screeched as Jack suddenly lifted her into the air.

He grinned as he cradled her between his arms. "Whose home? Yours or mine?"

Her cheeks instantly turned a bright purple. "Yours, but I'm not staying," she said as calmly as possible. "Now please put me down."

"Why go home?" he said, twirling her around. "We could go dancing. Wouldn't that be fun?"

"Jack, you're brewed," Sally said. "You need to get home. Now please put me down before you stumble and send us both crashing into a ditch."

"I'm not going to stumble," he replied haughtily. "I don't stumble."

"Well, could you put me down anyway?" the ragdoll said, becoming increasingly desperate.

"Why?" he asked. He lifted her over his head. "Are you afraid of heights?"

"Jack, don't!" she cried, slapping at his bony arms. "Put me down!"

He grinned. "You are! You're scared of heights!"

"I'm scared," she cried as she aimed a particularly hard smack to his left arm. "Of you dropping me!"

"But I'm not going to drop you," he stated matter-of-factly. He lowered her so that she was level with his chest and held her tightly. "I'd never _ever_ drop you, Sally."

Sally closed her eyes, trying to remember that this was the brew talking and not Jack. She gently pushed herself as far as she could from him. "Jack," she said, staring straight into the skeleton's sockets. "Put me down."

He frowned, but obeyed. "Just trying to have a little fun," he murmured to himself as he set her on the ground.

Sally gulped and straightened out her dress. "W-we can go dancing tomorrow if you still feel up for it," she said, though she was sure that he wouldn't be.

He nodded and cradled one arm behind his back. "Sure," he murmured. "Tomorrow."

"But right now you need to get home."

"Uh-huh," he murmured dejectedly.

The two endured the rest of the walk to Jack's house in silence. Once the skeleton had gotten to the front doorstep, Sally began to turn to go home to Dr. Finklestein's. He was sure to be furious with her for being out so late.

"Sally," Jack murmured softly as she turned away from him.

The ragdoll felt a knot form in the pit of her stomach. "Yes, Jack?" she whispered.

"You won't stay the night?"

Sally bit her lip, hard. "Dr. Finklestein will be worried about me," she said as calmly as possible. "You're a big skeleton. You can take care of yourself."

"I guess so," he replied. "But sometimes it's harder than others."

"Jack," she said, turning around and sidling up to him. She placed a hand on his chest before looking up at him-a slight, sad smile on her lips. "I'll always be there to take care of you when you really need it."

"So you'll stay?" he asked, a grin spreading across his features.

She shook her head, her hands trembling. "No. No, the brew is taking care of you right now," she replied. She stepped away from him. "I'll start when the brew stops."

Jack furrowed his brow. "Confusticate brew," he growled.

Sally smiled sadly. "My thoughts exactly," she murmured to herself. She blinked back tears before adding, more loudly, "Goodnight, Jack. I-I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight," he echoed as he opened the door. He slipped inside and softly closed the door behind him.

Sally stared at the plain wooden front door for a few moments before bolting towards Dr. Finklestein's, tears streaming down her face.

* * *

Jack woke the next morning to a blinding pain in his skull. He shielded his sockets from the orange beams of sunlight coming in through the half-open window and mentally cursed into a second grave whoever invented brew.

"I don't see how Polly can stand it," he murmured softly to himself, his own voice sending crackles of pain through his skull. He glanced over at the clock on the wall. He still had an hour until noon, just enough time to try to figure out some way to deal with this. He vaguely remembered something about Sally and her taking care of him, whatever that meant.

He changed into a fresh suit, noting with distain the smell of brew on the one he'd slept in the night before. "Going to have to change the sheets," he murmured sourly as he adjusted his jacket.

When he finally felt that he might be able to get down to Town Hall without trouble, he opened the front door. Once his sockets adjusted to the light, he noted a little black bottle sitting on his front door step. He furrowed his brow and picked up the mysterious vial between one thumb and forefinger. "What's this?" he whispered to himself. He looked down and saw the note that had been placed underneath it.

"Jack," it read. "I hope you're not going to need it, but, just in case, I mixed up a bottle of wolfsbane. Drinking it ought to help with any sort of headache you might have. Put in about one teaspoon with your morning tea."

Jack grinned. "Good old Sally," he murmured to himself. He uncorked the bottle and took a quick swig straight from it. Instantly, the pain in his skull began to lessen. He twirled the bottle between his two fingers before placing it in his jacket pocket. "What would I do without you?"

* * *

At noon, Jack trudged down to Town Hall and found he was slated to be a Darter. "Hey! Great job, Jack!" Polly said when he saw the skeleton. He punched him in the shoulder, causing Jack to cringe a little. "Darter's one of the hardest roles," the clown reminded him. "And you got it _again_!"

"Yeah, just like last year," Jack murmured to himself as he turned around and paced back towards his home. "And the year before that. And the year before that."

"Hey, don't start pouting, bonehead," Polly said as he pedaled behind the skeleton. "You could do a lot worse."

"Like being sacked?" he growled.

"Oh, I see," he said, pedaling up beside Jack. "You're still bent outta shape over losing to the sack. Look, get over it!"

"Get over… It's been one day, Polly!" Jack exclaimed, turning to confront the clown.

Polly crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah, and in three hundred and sixty four days _someone else_ is gonna get sacked," he pointed out. "Maybe it'll be yours, maybe mine, but _someone _is gonna get sacked _every year_. You can't go pouting every time it happens."

"Goodbye, Polly," Jack said, elegantly stepping over a ditch that the clown couldn't possibly cross on his unicycle.

The clown sneered at him as he walked off towards his house. "You're making yourself all upset over nothing!" he cried after Jack. "This is just how it is!"

* * *

Jack didn't sleep for the next few days. Whenever he even dozed, he found Dante's tearful eyes staring into his. So, instead, he started preparations for next year's reviews, trying to figure out how to refine Grendel's slime attack and adjust Adam's roar. He nearly lost his skull when he realized that Amuntet, the young mummy, was going to be up for reviews this coming year.

"First Dante and now Tet," he growled to himself as he crossed out the elaborate plan he'd been devising to save the mummy. He sighed and placed a bony fist against his cheek. "What to do…"

Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," he shouted, still focused on his plans.

Sally peeped her head in.

"Hey, Jack," she said as she watched the skeleton scribble down ideas on his notepad. She pulled a white box out of the basket she had slung over one arm. "I brought some…"

"I'm not hungry," he replied tersely.

She grimaced. "Jack, you haven't left the house in three days," she said. "You've got to…"

"Sally, I'm a skeleton," he replied, setting down his pencil. He turned in his chair to face her. "I can go for weeks without food."

"True," she said. "But that doesn't mean…" She pursed her lips and stumbled over to his desk. She set the basket down on top of his papers with a thump. "Jack, everyone's worried about you," she said, coming straight out with it. "_I'm _worried about you. You can't go on like this."

"Watch me," he growled.

Sally narrowed her eyes at the stubborn skeleton. "You need food and rest," she continued. "Halloween is coming up."

"Sally, I could be a Darter if I were brewed out of my skull and had both my legs taken off," he said sharply. He scribbled down a quick idea on the notepad. "You don't need to worry about me."

"Maybe I don't need to, but I am," she retorted. She pulled a blue vial out of the basket and slapped it down on top of his notepad. "This is sleeping potion," she said. "It's the most powerful I have. I want you to take some in about thirty minutes."

Jack huffed at her.

"I'm serious, Jack!"

The skeleton set down his pencil and turned his empty sockets to Sally. "And what gives you the authority to tell me what to do?"

"I'm your friend," she replied, trying desperately to hold onto her resolve. "And I'm a medic."

"No, you're a nurse at best," he corrected. "A nurse who doesn't seem to know when she's not wanted."

"Jack," Sally breathed, truly shocked by his behavior. "That… That's not…"

"Fair?" he finished for her. "Is that what you were going to say? Because I think it's exactly fair. It's the only fair thing that's been said or done this whole week."

He got up from his chair, looming over her. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."

Tears began to form in Sally's eyes. "Alright, Jack," she said, turning away from him. "Work yourself into a second grave if you want. But it's not going to get Dante back." The tears she'd been holding back over losing the little monster began to rise to the surface. She buried her face in her hands. "Nothing will."

Jack's expression softened. "Sally," he began, placing a hand on the ragdoll's shoulder. "Sally, I'm sorry. I don't know what's come over me."

"It… It's ok, Jack. It's… hard," she replied as she swallowed her tears. She fiddled with her hands. "I just wish I could do more to help you."

He smiled wanly. "You're already doing the best you can," he said. "That's all I can ask."

Sally opened her mouth, about to point out that he'd done the best he could too, but when she turned to face at him, her words melted. She smoothed out a wrinkle on his shirt instead. "Try not to work too hard, ok?" she said, looking up at him.

"Alright," he replied. "Now, I think Dr. Finklestein is going to start to worry."

Sally rolled her eyes. "He's already worried," she muttered.

"All the more reason to get you home as soon as possible," Jack replied. "Do you need me to walk you?"

"No, I think I can manage," she said with a slight smile.

"Well then, goodnight, Sally," he said, escorting her to the door.

"Goodnight, Jack," she replied as she trudged to the door. "Just… Try to remember that you did the best you could."

Jack opened his mouth to contradict her, but simply nodded instead. "Goodnight, Sally" he replied tersely.

The ragdoll sighed softly and began walking down the street.

Just as he was about the close the door, he thought he saw a bit of golden fur out of the corner of his eye. He blinked and looked towards the ink black sky. "Perhaps I could use a little rest," he thought to himself as he shut the door completely.

* * *

Interestingly enough, "confusticate" is actually a word. It's roughly synonymous with "bother" or "confound".

Poor Sally. She just keeps pulling the short straw, doesn't she?

* * *

Reviews appreciated as always.


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you to Wolf Lover 06 and mrspencil for their kind reviews!

I'm afraid this one's a short one, but the next chapter is going to be long by necessity so hopefully that makes up for it.

* * *

"Jack. Jack!"

The skeleton opened his eyes to see Dante staring at him from one end of his pillow. He blinked at her, thinking perhaps the potion Sally had given him was stronger than he thought.

"Dant-?" he began.

The furry creature hopped onto his chest with a glare, knocking the wind out of him.

"Don't talk," she hissed. As he stared at her, her expression softened and she moved off of his chest. "I'm sorry if I hurt you," she whispered. "But if anyone hears you…"

Jack shuddered. "Of course," he whispered back. "But… how did you?"

"I'll explain later," she murmured. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm ok before I go to the forest."

"The forest?" Jack echoed. "What… why are you going out there?"

"Well, I can't exactly live in Halloween Town anymore," she whispered. She looked down at the bedsheet. "If anyone finds me…" She gave a little gasp and looked up at him. "Promise you won't tell!"

The skeleton frowned at her, but the scared look in her eyes instantly squashed any anger he felt over the idea that he might inform on her. "I promise," he whispered. "I won't tell a soul."

The furry creature gave him a half-hearted smile. "I promise I'll tell you everything later, ok?"

Jack furrowed his brow. "But how am I going to find you in the forest?" he asked.

She looked around nervously before inching closer to his skull. "Look for the place where three trees intertwine," she confided. "I'll be there."

Before he could question how she knew so much about the forest, or where he'd find three trees intertwined, Dante had jumped off the bed and was heading towards the half-open window.

"Dante!"

The little monster tensed then turned around to face him.

"It's dangerous out there," he murmured. "Are you sure you'll be alright?"

She flashed him an impish grin. "Don't worry, bone man," she whispered as she jumped onto the windowsill. "I'm a lot tougher than I look."

The next thing Jack knew, she was gone.

* * *

The next morning, Jack got up and tried to wrap his skull around the events of last night. Could Dante be alive? Or was he just dreaming? The potion that Sally had given him was strong. She'd said so herself. He was just changing out of his pajamas and into his suit when a glimpse of gold caught his eye. He sprinted over to the window to find a little bit of Dante's fur caught against a nail in the side of the window frame. "So it wasn't a dream," he murmured to himself as he twisted the golden hairs in his lanky fingers. "She's alive!"

"Who's alive?"

Jack turned to see Sally standing in the doorway.

"You know," he commented as he slid the bit of fur into his pocket. "It's generally considered polite to knock."

Sally frowned at him. "I was hoping that you'd still be asleep," she replied. "That potion was supposed to knock you out for a good eight hours."

"Well, _skeletons_," he said as he scooped up some of the papers from last night. "We don't exactly work the way werewolves or goblins do."

"I noticed," she replied wryly. She watched as he sorted the papers on his desk and put on the rest of his suit. Something about him seemed different this morning. "Jack, are you sure you're alright?" she asked as he made the bed.

"Of course!" he cried as he tried desperately to make the corners fit right. "Never better!"

"You're just acting a bit…" She paused as he darted in front of her, a couple of books in his hand. "Strangely."

"Nonsense!" he cried as he neatly piled the books next to his desk. He surveyed the product for a moment before picking them up again and arranging them in alphabetical order. "Just doing a little tidying up."

Sally furrowed her brow. Jack _never _tidied up unless something big was happening. Or he was trying to hide something. She worried the inside of her lip as she watched him carefully straighten a picture of a mausoleum he had hanging on his wall. "I just wanted to make sure… I mean, with Halloween so near…"

"Don't you worry, Sally," Jack said once he finally got the picture to hang at a nice crooked angle. "I am _absolutely _fine."

"If you say so, Jack," she murmured. She looked down at her shoes. "Just… if you do need someone…"

"I know where to find you, of course," he replied hurriedly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some preparations to do. Halloween's going to be here faster than you know it and I'm sure you have lots of other monsters to check up on."

Sally bit her lip. She really didn't have anyone else to check on since she only ever checked on Jack. She looked up at the skeleton, who seemed to be imploring her with every bone in his body to leave, and gave a little sigh. "I'll go see how Jason's doing," she said as she headed towards the door.

"An excellent idea! Give him my regards," he cried as she opened the door. The moment she closed it, he slumped against the wall.

"Keeping this secret is going to be harder than I thought," he murmured to himself as he looked at the clock. He'd hardly been awake for more than ten minutes and already he'd roused Sally's suspicions. How he was going to make it through the rest of the day was a mystery.

He got up with a sigh and took the basket Sally had left last night off his desk. He peeked inside. There was a bone fish wrapped in an old cloth, a bottle of cold nightlock tea, and another vial of sleeping potion. As he set the sleeping potion on his desk, he stared at the contents of the basket and grinned. "Sally, you perfect genius!" he cried as he darted out the door, basket in hand. He ran the short distance to the gate and nodded cordially to the gatekeeper, who quickly unlocked the massive iron bars for him.

"Where you off to in such a hurry?" he asked, but Jack was already gone. The gatekeeper peered after him as he ran into the woods and smiled slightly. "A little rendezvous in the woods, huh?" he murmured to himself. He closed the gate with a chuckle. "Well, the poor doll certainly deserves it."

"Hey! I'll let her know which way you went when I see her!" he cried, though Jack was certainly out of earshot by now. He sat back down in his booth and opened his copy of _Death in Venice_. He had just gotten to the cholera outbreak and was very excited about it. As he flipped to the right page, he murmured to himself, "The things a ghoul'll do for love."

* * *

Dante's back! (Seems I can't get rid of the little furball.)

Reviews appreciated as always!


	6. Chapter 6

Thank you to Wolf Lover 06, mrspencil, and white-tiger2200 for their kind reviews!

* * *

Jack was fairly sure he was lost. He'd been walking around the forest for about half a day and was beginning to get tired. All of the trees looked exactly the same—thin and without any leaves. That's what made the forest so dangerous. Once you left the path, it was purely a matter of chance whether you were able to find it again. He passed a tree that he could have sworn he saw five minutes ago and sighed. "Couldn't she have been a little more specific?" he thought to himself. "Like whether it's north, south, east, or…" He looked up at the bright orange sun looming overhead. It was just beginning it's descent into the west, which meant he didn't have much more time to search if he ever wanted to find his way out of the forest again.

Finally, as he was about to turn around and try to make his way back home, he saw a glimmer of light shining between two tree trunks. Curious, he drew closer. Suddenly, the forest thinned out and he saw three pure white trees entwined around each other, going around each other's trunks like a braided rope. As he gazed at it in wonder, a bit of golden fur flashed by. "Boo!" Dante cried as she appeared on his shoulder. When he simply stared at her, the little monster's ears flattened against her head. "Still not scary, huh?"

"No, it's not that. It's simply. You're _alive_."

"Well, yeah, I visited your house," she said, hopping down from his shoulder.

"Dante," Jack exclaimed, throwing his arms wide. "No one's ever gotten out of Oogie Boogie's before. It's simply…"

"Hard," Dante supplied for him. She floated around a groove in the forest floor. "Really, really hard."

"But you did it!"

"Yeah, I did," she said solemnly.

Jack furrowed his brow over his sockets. It wasn't like Dante to be so sullen. As he pondered what could have happened to the little monster, the two walked steadily towards what remained of her fire.

"Dante," he began. "What happened in-"

"Don't you ever sleep?" she interrupted. She hopped up onto a fallen log nearby the fire pit. "I waited outside your house for five whole days before you even turned the lights off."

"Sorry," he said as he settled down next to her. "I was a bit… out of sorts."

Dante snorted. "Yeah, I saw," she replied. She looked up at him with a mischievous grin. "What got in your skull that you thought drowning it in brew would help?"

Jack grinned and rubbed the back of his skull. "It's… complicated."

The little creature looked at him curiously. "So it wasn't just me getting sacked?" she asked.

Jack's mouth formed a thin line of bone. "Well, I mean… Mostly…" He set his hands down in his lap. "Yes," he conceded. "It was about you getting sacked."

Dante looked down at the ground. "I already said I was sorry," she murmured.

A look of panic flashed across the skeleton's face. "No, Dante. I blame myself for not training you well enough," he urged, placing a hand to his chest. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

The little creature wrinkled a nose entirely obscured by fur. "I _tripped_," she said. "I don't see how training had anything to do with it. And besides, if you hadn't taught me all those things, I never would've made it out!"

Jack leaned forward a bit. "Speaking of which…"

She gulped and looked up at the skeleton, who was staring at her expectantly. "I have to tell the story now, don't I?" she murmured.

"It _would_ help clear up some of this confusion," Jack replied.

Dante looked back at the ground. "It's not a fun story," she grumbled.

"Perhaps if you took it a little at a time?" he suggested.

The little monster sighed and hopped off the fallen log. "It was scary," she began. "But not in a good way."

Jack nodded.

"And it was really dark and smelly in that sack and I didn't know what was going to happen. Then, when they opened the sack, I just… I got so scared and I…" She disappeared from sight, reappearing moments later on the fallen log. "Like that."

"So," Jack said, trying to piece it together. "You used some of those speed moves I taught you."

"Yeah," she replied. She looked down at the log. "I got really sick afterwards."

The skeleton smiled at her. "But you managed to make it out!"

Her features brightened. "Yeah! They were _really _confused because I disappeared so quick that they thought nothing was in the sack." Her joyous look faded. "Then the King got real mad, so mad he threw the ghost that carried me there in the stew. The ghost screamed a lot. He seemed… he seemed like he was in a lot of pain. His face kept contorting and then…" She paused and Jack noticed that she was shaking. "It's not a nice place there, Jack," she said finally. "Not at all."

"Where were you in all this?" he asked, hoping to get her mind off the ghost's horrifying end.

Her ears perked up. "Oh! I was hiding in the holes of one of his giant dice things." Seeing his confused look, she added, "He has this big column of dice with great big holes in them instead of dots. I think he likes playing with dice or something. And there was this giant wheel with the stew in the middle of it and a big black ball with an eight on it mixing it. I tried to stay as far away from that as possible."

"Good thinking," Jack said, already impressed with how much she'd picked up. "But why didn't you just leave?"

She shifted back and forth on the log. "Well, they were kind of… in my way. I could see a window that I could get through, but there was the stew and the King and Oogie's Boys between me and it. And I wasn't feeling too good from going so fast. I'm getting better, though!" she added, getting up and floating in front of Jack. "I didn't even feel queasy when I snuck up on you or when I disappeared just a few seconds ago. And then when I was practicing…"

"That's great, Dante, but if you could stick to the part about how you escaped?" Jack urged.

"Oh. Right," the little monster said, drifting back down to the ground. "Well, they were talking for a long time. Lock kept saying that they ought to ask for another sacrifice, but King Oogie Boogie didn't want that. He said it would be… It'd be…" Dante's ears flattened against her head as she tried to think of the words. "Too dangerous? Yeah! It'd be too dangerous to let anyone know that I escaped. And something about weaknesses. I don't remember all of it."

"You remembered a lot," Jack said. "More than I might have."

The little monster beamed. "You really think so?"

"Absolutely! But how did you escape?"

"Well, eventually, they all left and I went as fast as I could to the window. Then I climbed up some rope and made it into the pumpkin patch and then… Then…" She stared down at the ground.

"What?" Jack asked, overwhelmed with curiosity.

"I got sick," she admitted. "Really sick. I threw up all over a pumpkin." She glanced up at him. "I'm trying to get better at it, I promise! I just get sick sometimes. But it doesn't happen as often anymore and when it does…"

"Dante," Jack interrupted. He waved his hand at her. "Forget throwing up. What you did was amazing! No one's escaped from Oogie Boogie's before in the history of Halloween Town."

She flicked the larger of her two ears at him. "Yeah, and now I can't ever go back," she mumbled.

The skeleton frowned. "True," he murmured, setting a bony hand against his jaw. He looked at the furry creature in front of him. "But at least you're still here."

"Yeah, I guess there's that," she said as she drifted closer to the fire. She stared at it for a few moments before adding, "It just gets really lonely."

Jack furrowed his brow over his sockets. "Cheer up, Dante," he urged. "It's not that bad." He took the basket from off his arm. "I brought provisions!"

The little monster turned around, a look of confusion on her face. "Pro-vi…? Oh! _Food_!" she exclaimed as he pulled back the old rag, revealing the bone fish and the tea.

"It's really courtesy of Sally," Jack added as he set the basket down in front of her. "She's the one who made it."

The little monster's eyes widened just as she was about to take a bite out of the bone fish. "Sally? But… But you promised!" Dante cried, darting around the basket. "Why would you tell her?"

"What? No! Of course I didn't tell her," he replied. "She brought this over for me. I just thought it would do a bit more good out here."

"Oh," Dante murmured, her fur turning a light orange. She gazed at the basket. "I guess the bone fish should've been a hint, huh?"

"Or the fact that I promised not to tell anyone," Jack thought bitterly to himself as she broke off a bit of the fin. "I don't tell Sally _everything_ you know," he murmured after she'd eaten a good bit of the tail fin.

"I know," she mumbled around her mouthful of fish. She swallowed and began picking at the spine. "You only do that when you're brewed."

Jack grit his teeth. "Now how would you know what happens when I'm brewed?" he asked as calmly as he could.

Dante looked up at him skeptically. "Jack, I was outside your house for five days. I saw what happened. You got brewed and Sally had to walk you home." She bit off a bit more of the spine. "Did you really have to pick her up like that?"

He fiddled anxiously with his hands. "Umm… I'm afraid you have a better memory of all this than I do," he replied after a few moments.

Dante raised an eyebrow at him.

Jack picked up the bottle of tea and opened it before taking a sip. "So, if you don't mind me asking, what… What exactly happened?"

"You really don't remember?" she asked.

Jack shook his head.

"Just how brewed were you?" she said, settling back onto the log again.

"_Very _brewed," he replied. "Now if you wouldn't mind?"

"Sally had to lead you home," Dante began. She took another bite of bone fish and chewed it a little before continuing, "About halfway there, you picked her up and held her over your head. She… didn't seem to like that much. There was some talk I couldn't hear and you put her down. Then, when you got to the doorstep, she said that she'd always be there to take care of you when you really needed it."

"Really?" Jack said. He took another sip of tea. "Huh," he murmured. "I wonder what that means."

The little monster opened her mouth to say something, then shrugged. "Beats me," she murmured, taking another bite out of the spine. She glanced at the bottle of tea as Jack took another sip. "And could you _please_ not drink that whole thing? You can just get Sally to make you more and I…"

"Oh, yes, of course," he said, putting the bottle back in the basket. "Sorry."

"It's alright." She grinned. "Didn't have dinner, huh?"

"Not since you got sacked," he replied.

"But… That's a whole five days!" Dante exclaimed. "You have eaten in almost a week?"

"Well, I am a skeleton."

"You need to eat," the little monster insisted, pushing the basket towards him the best she could.

Jack grinned at her. "I'll see if I can get Sally or Abby to make me something when I get back," he responded, nudging the basket back towards her.

"You promise?" she said, fixing him with her big brown eyes.

Jack placed a hand on the place where his heart would have been. "I promise," he replied. "As soon as I get back to Halloween Town."

"Speaking of which," he added, his tone turning somber. He glanced over at the sun, which was beginning to sink below the horizon. "How am I going to find my way back?"

Dante's ears perked up. "Oh yeah! That was one of my really great ideas! I marked all the trees!"

"Marked them?" he echoed.

"Well, not _all _of the trees, but a lot of them. It took a _really_ long time," she said. When she noted his confused look, she added, "I bit a hole in the side of the trunks so that they mark a path to Halloween Town and to this lake I found. They aren't very big 'cause… well… you know." She flashed her teeth at him. "But they work! And they're at about my height so I didn't think anyone who wasn't looking for them'll notice them."

"Dante, that is _brilliant_!"

"You really think so?"

"Absolutely!" Jack exclaimed, standing up from the log. "Now, can you show me one so I can find my way back?"

Dante smiled at him as she hopped off the log. "Sure thing, bone man!"

* * *

"Jack?"

Sally looked nervously around the forest. The gatekeeper had told her that Jack was expecting her out here. She glanced anxiously at the pumpkin orange sun as it set in the west. She'd strayed from the path a couple of hours ago when she realized that Jack wasn't in the graveyard or the pumpkin patch and now she couldn't find her way back. She nibbled the inside of her lip and she closed her eyes, hoping something in the wind might tell her which way to go. "Come on," she thought to herself as the breeze lifted her long flowing locks. "Work just this once!" Almost as soon as she thought it the breeze died down, leaving her without a clue. She groaned and leaned against one of the slim trees that made up the forest.

"Why did Jack have to try to meet me out here?" she grumbled to herself. She couldn't figure out why he'd lead them both out into someplace so dangerous. If he wanted to apologize, he could have done it at his house or in the graveyard.

Sally sat down on the cold, bumpy ground and tried not to think of all the stories Dr. Finklestein had told her about little ragdolls getting lost in the woods.

"Jack," she whispered to herself. "Where are you?"

* * *

Oh dear. Sally's in a bit of trouble, isn't she?

Reviews appreciated as always.


	7. Chapter 7

Thank you to Wolf Lover 06, mrspencil, and white-tiger2200 for their kind reviews!

* * *

"You're going to come back, right?" Dante asked once she'd shown him several different spots where she'd marked the trees.

Jack paused in his examination of the tree bark to look at the little monster. Her big brown eyes seemed worried and it suddenly occurred to him that he was the only one who even knew she was here and not stew.

Jack grinned at her. "Just try to stop me!" he exclaimed, gesturing excitedly. He turned back to his examination of the tree. "And these trail markers are really going to help! You marked every other tree with them?"

"Yep," she replied. "All the way to the path." She grimaced and licked her fangs. "I'm still having trouble getting bits of bark out of my teeth."

"Well, it was well worth the effort," Jack replied as he stood up. "Now I can visit you whenever I like!"

The little monster smiled and floated around one of the trees.

"Well, I'd better get going," Jack said, noting how dark it was getting. "I ought to get home before nightfall."

The little creature raised an eyebrow at him. "I thought you could see in the dark."

"Well, I _can_, yes," Jack replied. "But I'd prefer to get home before anyone starts getting suspicious."

"Like Sally?"

"Like Sally," he replied. For some reason, Dante had been mentioning Sally the entire time they were looking at the trees. He was beginning to think that she thought he'd actually told Sally everything, despite all he'd said to the contrary.

"And you're coming back, right?" the little monster repeated.

"Absolutely!" he exclaimed.

"When?"

"What?" Jack replied, suddenly caught off guard.

Dante drifted down to the base of one of the trees and settled between the roots. "When?" she repeated.

Jack blinked at her. "Well, I don't know when," he replied after a moment. "Halloween's coming up, so I need to prepare for that. And then there's tutoring the other monsters…"

"But _when_?" she repeated. "Don't you have _any _free time?"

"Not really," he admitted. He looked around the forest. "To be perfectly honest, I'm surprised no one's come looking for me." His brow furrowed over his sockets and he placed a concerned finger to his mouth. "Or maybe they have… It'd be hard to tell in this forest." He waved away the idea and turned his attention back to the little monster. His expression softened as he saw the furry creature staring down at the ground, looking forlorn. "Dante. It'll be fine. But... Don't you see that I can't guarantee a time when I'll be able to visit? There are too many variables!"

"Vari-whats?" she asked, wrinkling her nose.

"Things that could get in the way," he clarified. "And you're trying to keep everything a secret, right?"

"Right," she replied hesitantly.

"Well then, I can't just set a time when I'll visit. That's too easy to track. You have to be careful about these…"

"You know, you could just _say _that you aren't coming back," Dante interrupted. She looked down at the ground again. "I wouldn't… I'd understand…"

"But I _am_ going to come back!" he exclaimed, flinging his arms back in frustration. He placed a hand to his forehead and gave a little sigh. "Look, how about I try to come next Wednesday?" he conceded. "Halloween will be over by then and I might have some time to spare."

"Don't get all upset if I don't show up though," he added, holding up a warning finger. "It probably just means I got caught up in something or that someone would've noticed if I just disappeared into the woods."

Dante nodded, her look of triumph fading into one of reluctant acceptance.

"Speaking of noticing, they're _really_ going to start talking if I don't get back soon," he said, his skull twisting towards Halloween Town.

"That'd be bad," Dante murmured flatly. She glanced at the basket and her ears perked up a bit. "Oh! Do you want the basket back?"

Jack placed a finger to his jaw. "Well, it _is_ Sally's so I suppose I ought to return it to her," he replied, picking up the item in question. He slung it over one arm and gave Dante a little smile. "I'll see you next Wednesday."

"Next Wednesday," the little monster echoed as Jack began to make his way back to Halloween Town. She glanced at the bottle of tea and the bone fish wrapped in cloth that she'd laid by the fire pit. "He's coming back," she murmured to herself. "He wouldn't leave you out here alone forever. He's definitely coming…" She choked back a little sob. "…Back."

* * *

Jack was about halfway to Halloween Town by the time the sun set. He had to admit that the markers that Dante made were very effective. It took a bit of effort to see them since they were so small and low to the ground, but they kept him from getting lost in the vast forest. He'd gotten to the point where he felt that he didn't even have examine the trees that closely when he heard a scream. It sounded like…

"Sally!" he cried, sprinting in the direction of the sound. As he darted through the trees, he continued calling out her name. "Sally, where are you?"

"I'm… I'm over… Get _away_!" the voice responded, followed by the yelp of a creature in pain.

Jack burst through the trees to find Sally fending off a lone wolf with her needle.

He paused for a moment. "…Hugh?" he exclaimed, now thoroughly confused.

The werewolf turned his head towards Jack, his lips curled back in a viscous snarl. His shirt lay abandoned on the ground and he was standing on all fours. "So hungry," he growled. His eyes were glazed over. "Need food."

"Yes, that's very good, Hugh," Jack commented. "But don't you think that you ought to save this for…" Suddenly, he felt the werewolf leap on top of him.

"Bone," Hugh growled, licking his lips. "Delicious…" He yelped as Sally jabbed him with her needle.

"Jack, do something!" she cried as the werewolf turned to her. "Run!"

"Run?" the skeleton echoed. He grimaced and got up from where Hugh had left him lying. Running was the last thing he had in his skull. "Hugh Wulfric," he said in his most commanding voice as he rose to his full height. "Leave Sally alone!"

The werewolf merely snarled at him and continued to pace in circles around the ragdoll, his fangs bared.

The skeleton grimaced. "Alright," he said, striding towards the other monster. "But don't say I didn't warn you." With one swoop of his lanky arms, Jack latched onto Hugh, holding him tightly around the throat. The werewolf tried to shake him off, but he soon found that he couldn't escape the skeleton, no matter how hard he twisted and turned. After a few moments, he fell to the ground, gasping for air.

"Let… go…" he choked out.

"Not until you promise to leave Sally and I alone," Jack said.

"Fine," he gasped. "I… promise."

"And apologize."

Hugh looked at Sally desperately. "I… I'm… sorry."

"It's alright," she replied as Jack let go of the werewolf's throat. "You're hungry and…" But before she could finish her sentence, he'd bolted into the woods.

"Sally, what are you doing out here?" Jack asked as Hugh's footsteps faded into the distance. "Why aren't you back in Halloween Town?"

"Well, I... I thought you were supposed to meet me out here," she said, confused.

Jack furrowed his brow. "Sally, why would I ask you to come meet me out in the woods?" he said, stepping towards her. "You're not making any sense."

"I don't know! I thought it was strange, but…" She stopped mid-sentence, a look of disbelief on her face. "Dante?"

The skeleton turned to see the little creature standing in the shadow of a tree. At the sound of her name, she stepped out from its shadow. "I… I heard screaming and I wanted to make sure you were alright," she explained, glancing furtively between Sally and Jack. "I managed not to throw up this time!" she added.

The ragdoll took a step back, her disbelief now changed to horror. "But… but you were…"

"Sacked. I know. I was there," she replied wryly. With a sigh, she floated up to Sally. "Please don't tell anyone," she pleaded, some panic creeping into her voice. "I'll explain… Or…" She closed her eyes tightly. "Jack, could you explain?" she added, turning to face the skeleton. "I… I need to get back to my camp before it gets any darker."

"Of course," he replied. "I'll explain everything."

"Just a second," Sally said as Dante began to skitter off. She approached her cautiously and placed a gentle hand on her head. "It really is you!" she exclaimed.

The furry creature flicked an ear at her. "Yep! Really me!" she said, breaking into a grin. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you first, it's just that bone man seemed so…" Before she could finish her thought, she was swept up in an embrace. Tears fell down Sally's cheeks and onto Dante's fur. The little monster looked up at her with confusion. "What's wrong?" she asked as a tear fell onto her ear.

"Nothing. I'm just so glad," Sally murmured into the other monster's fur. "So, so glad."

Dante nuzzled against Sally's neck. "It's good to see you too," she murmured.

"But now I have to go to my camp," she said, pushing herself away from the ragdoll a little bit. "It's further into the woods. Jack can show you the way back," she said as she hopped down from Sally's arms.

The skeleton nodded. "Oh, except," he said. "Which direction is the trail? I'm afraid I don't remember where…"

Dante flicked her ear to their right. "About a hundred feet that way. You can't miss it." She frowned. "Or at least… I _hope_ you can't."

"Oh! And thanks for the bone fish!" she added before darting off into the forest.

"Bone fish?" Sally echoed as she straightened up. She turned to Jack, who wore a sheepish expression.

He hid the basket behind his back. "I just… I thought she might need it a bit more than… Well, I _am _just bone," he murmured.

She smiled fondly at him. "I'll make you some more when we get back," she said, linking arms with the skeleton. "Right now, I'm more interested in learning how Dante came to live in the woods."

"It's a long story," Jack warned as they began walking through the trees.

"Well, we have a long walk ahead of us."

* * *

"So your training did help!" Sally exclaimed as they began to approach the path.

Jack rubbed the back of his skull. "Not in the way I intended, but yes." He glanced furtively from side to side as they reached the path. "But now we ought to be quiet. If anyone apart from us knows about Dante..."

"Stew," she filled in for him. She gulped. "Got it."

"You know, I feel so much better knowing I don't have to keep this all to myself," he said as they walked down the path to Halloween Town. "You wouldn't believe how nerve-wracking it is having to keep this whole thing a secret from everyone."

"What whole thing?"

Jack froze. There was the gatekeeper standing along the path, a lantern in his claws. For a moment the three just stared at each other. Then, suddenly, the gatekeeper's beak formed a wicked grin. "Oh, I see. Trying to keep all that hush-hush, huh?" he commented with a wink towards Sally. 'Well, don't you worry about me. I won't tell old Finklestein anything he doesn't need to know."

"What do you...?"

Sally elbowed Jack in the ribs. "Thank you so much," she said in her best relieved tone. She placed a hand to her chest. "You know how he can be. And we were just so worried!"

"I understand. The course of true love never did run smooth as... someone or other said."

"True lo...?"

Sally elbowed Jack in the ribs again. "It's ok, Jack," she said, turning to the skeleton and placing a hand to his jaw. She gazed lovingly into his sockets. "We don't have to pretend anymore. Not around Edgar."

"Pretend... Oh! Yes, of course... Edgar will keep our secret," he fumbled. "We can behave just like..."

He was quickly silenced by Sally's lips pressing against his mouth.

Edgar sighed. "True love," he murmured to himself as he watched the two break apart again.

Jack blinked at Sally, completely baffled. Meanwhile, Sally took to smoothing out wrinkles on his shirt and occasionally giving him warning looks.

Edgar's expression suddenly turned serious. "I won't tell a soul, but I can't say staying out in the woods like this is a good idea," he said. He held up the lantern. "I was about to send out a search party for you two and then _everyone_ in town would know."

"We wouldn't want that," Jack said nervously.

Sally bit her lip and looked down at the ground.

"_Exactly_," he affirmed._ "_You two need to be more careful." He placed a misshapen black wing on Sally's back and looked into her eyes. "At least give me an idea of what's happening so I can come look for you myself. You know... Keep everything out of the cauldron?"

"We'll be sure to do that," Jack said as he began leading Sally towards Halloween Town. "And thank you so much for your... discretion."

The gatekeeper grinned. "Anytime, Jack!"

* * *

"Sally, what was going on back there?" Jack asked as soon as he closed the door to his house.

Sally placed a frustrated hand to her forehead. "Honestly, Jack, can you really not see past your own skull?" she exclaimed. At his confused look, she added, "He thinks we're lovers!"

"Lovers? Why would he think that?"

For a moment, Sally thought about just marching out the door and letting Jack figure this one out by himself. Instead, she sighed and sat down at the wooden plank that served as his kitchen table. "Jack, a lot of people think you and I are... something more," she explained. "We're best friends and we're always hanging around each other. It just makes sense to them."

"Well, shouldn't we tell them? I mean, we both know we're just friends."

Sally picked anxiously at the stitches binding her hand to her wrist. "I don't think so," she replied. "Especially with Edgar acting like this. I... I mean... It's the perfect way for us to... go... go see Dante."

Jack placed a finger to his jaw. "So, we ought to pretend to be lovers..."

"_Secret _lovers," she corrected. "Dr. Finklestein can't know or it'd spoil the whole thing."

Jack nodded. "Right, _secret _lovers so we can go visit Dante without arousing anyone's suspicions."

"Exactly," she said, her heart twisting in her chest.

"Hmm... Well, I don't like tricking everyone in town," Jack said. "But if this is what has to be done..."

"It is. I think," she interrupted.

"...Then I guess I can't say 'no'," he finished.

Sally looked down at her feet and bit her lip, hard.

"Are you ok, Sally?" Jack asked, walking over to stand by her. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

She smiled wearily and fiddled with her hands. "It's nothing. Just... I don't like the idea of fooling everyone in town into thinking we're something we're not either."

Jack grinned at her. "Don't worry, Sally. It'll all be fine. Who knows? Everyone may even forget about this over time and we can go back to being the way we were. It'll be just like old times!"

Tears began to form in her eyes. "Yes, the way we were," she echoed.

"Hey, do you think you can give me a few tips on how to look like a lover?" he asked, stepping away from her. "I think you have more of a head for this than I do."

"That's not very hard to have," she grumbled to herself. She added, a bit louder, "Not right now, Jack. I... I have to get home to Dr. Finklestein's. If it gets much later, he might lock me in my room for a week."

Jack's brow furrowed over his sockets. "We can't have that," he said. "I told Dante I'd go see her next Wednesday."

Sally gulped down a sob. "Yes, it... it'd be a shame for her to be disappointed," she said as she got up from her chair and headed hurriedly towards the door.

"See you tomorrow!" Jack cried, only to be answered by the door slamming behind her.

* * *

Poor Sally. Jack is just completely clueless.

Reviews appreciated as always!


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